Honoring those who serve on National Day of the Deployed

Staff , WVEC11:18 AM. EDT October 26, 2016

U.S. Army soldiers salute during the national anthem during the an anniversary ceremony of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 on September 11, 2011 at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. (Photo: John Moore, Getty Images, 2011 Getty Images)

(WVEC) -- October 26th has been designated as National Day of the Deployed, and honors all of the men and women who have been deployed overseas, as well as their families who stay behind as their loved ones serve our country.

The annual occasion was founded in 2006 by Shelle Michaels Aberle, who approached then-North Dakota Governor John Hoeven to support a formal proclamation.

North Dakota became the first state to honor the Day of Deployment, and when Hoeven became a Senator, he co-sponsored a resolution to make it a national day honoring deployed troops and their families. The resolution passed unanimously in 2011, and National Day of Deployment is now recognized in all 50 states.

On social media, you can help observe the day by using the hashtag #DayOfTheDeployed